The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom… Proverbs 1:7
Over the years I have prayed with many people who were fearful about many different things. Generally fear is not something we want to entertain because it can spoil our lives and take away our joy and freedom. That kind of fear makes us a prisoner in our own bodies.
There is, however, one fear that we as followers of Jesus Christ need to have, and that is the fear of the Lord. Not that we are to be frightened of God as one would be scared of an abusive parent or person; but rather a healthy fear of the consequences of disobedience to God’s written word, accompanied by a sense of desire to please him.
As a child I usually did the right thing by my parents and teachers because I was afraid of the consequences of misbehaviour if it was discovered. Yes I was a normal child! It would have been much better if I had wanted to be obedient because I loved and trusted them.
Surely, you may say, I shouldn’t be afraid of God for is he not a God of love and mercy? Well, yes he is, but he is also a God of justice and to be just there must be judgment and punishment. This is not a popular preaching topic today but I believe it should be. Whether it is popular or not, it is the truth and we should tell it. We must return to the balance of teaching that Jesus demonstrated. He certainly spoke about judgment and its consequences more than we probably care to acknowledge. Read the gospels and check it out.
Yes we need above all to love God, but we also need to fear him because, as Moses told the Israelites in Exodus 20:20, “The fear of the Lord is to keep you from sinning.” Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me you will do as I’ve told you to do….. You will obey me.” (John 14:15,21).
Why is obedience so important? Because habitual disobedience carries with it the penalty of judgment and separation from God for eternity. That is the truth. Take time to read 1 John carefully, let God’s word speak for itself. The promise of being with God for eternity is “to him who overcomes”. This message was very clearly stated to believers in each of the seven churches in Revelation (Revelation 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21).
In order to walk in freedom and joy we need to walk in obedience to God’s will and purposes for our lives – that is fearing the Lord and departing from evil (Proverbs 3:7). God’s grace is available to us to enable us to do what we find difficult; receive it today and find victory to overcome those challenges that are hindering you from holiness.
Prayer: Dear Lord, please give me your grace to overcome the areas of weakness in my life which rob me of my joy and peace. Help me to walk in godly fear and so live to bring pleasure to you. Amen
Over the years I have prayed with many people who were fearful about many different things. Generally fear is not something we want to entertain because it can spoil our lives and take away our joy and freedom. That kind of fear makes us a prisoner in our own bodies.
There is, however, one fear that we as followers of Jesus Christ need to have, and that is the fear of the Lord. Not that we are to be frightened of God as one would be scared of an abusive parent or person; but rather a healthy fear of the consequences of disobedience to God’s written word, accompanied by a sense of desire to please him.
As a child I usually did the right thing by my parents and teachers because I was afraid of the consequences of misbehaviour if it was discovered. Yes I was a normal child! It would have been much better if I had wanted to be obedient because I loved and trusted them.
Surely, you may say, I shouldn’t be afraid of God for is he not a God of love and mercy? Well, yes he is, but he is also a God of justice and to be just there must be judgment and punishment. This is not a popular preaching topic today but I believe it should be. Whether it is popular or not, it is the truth and we should tell it. We must return to the balance of teaching that Jesus demonstrated. He certainly spoke about judgment and its consequences more than we probably care to acknowledge. Read the gospels and check it out.
Yes we need above all to love God, but we also need to fear him because, as Moses told the Israelites in Exodus 20:20, “The fear of the Lord is to keep you from sinning.” Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me you will do as I’ve told you to do….. You will obey me.” (John 14:15,21).
Why is obedience so important? Because habitual disobedience carries with it the penalty of judgment and separation from God for eternity. That is the truth. Take time to read 1 John carefully, let God’s word speak for itself. The promise of being with God for eternity is “to him who overcomes”. This message was very clearly stated to believers in each of the seven churches in Revelation (Revelation 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21).
In order to walk in freedom and joy we need to walk in obedience to God’s will and purposes for our lives – that is fearing the Lord and departing from evil (Proverbs 3:7). God’s grace is available to us to enable us to do what we find difficult; receive it today and find victory to overcome those challenges that are hindering you from holiness.
Prayer: Dear Lord, please give me your grace to overcome the areas of weakness in my life which rob me of my joy and peace. Help me to walk in godly fear and so live to bring pleasure to you. Amen
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